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Fiber art made from sustainable, local materials.

Experiments in New Skill Acquisition: Weaving on a Floor Loom (2)

Here's my second weaving project! I really love the texture and color patterns; weaving keeps the handspun in neat rows, whereas the loops in knitting and crochet tend to change up the color patterns I create in the spinning/dyeing process. 

I used a raw silk warp thread in dark blue, which seems to have worked quite well (handspun is often not strong enough for warps, I was told). The biggest learning experience for me in this project has to do with the density of weaving. I used one heddle per thread for the warp, which ordinarily would have resulted in a fairly loose weave. In this case, my handspun is just too damn bulky. I love the fabric that this created, but it's far too stiff to work well as a scarf. It would make a great material for a laptop or tablet case, a bag, or (someday!) a rug.

Preparation and process: I didn't actually use all of the yarns I set up for this. I think I only needed two or three skeins. Weaving seems to take less yarn than knitting or crochet; lesson learned. The yarns are a mix of llama, BFL wool, and alpaca. I also used corespun yarn for one section, which resulted in a fuzzier fabric, with the warp barely showing at all. 
The finished product: Like I said, the scarf is too stiff to wear. What the heck, though, I'll display it this way for the moment. But look at all the pretty colors and textures!  The corespun section is in the right, center. 
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